Back To What It Does Best, The 350Z Wins Hearts
Ten years down the track in the Nissan-Renault alliance, there is no clearer example of the great product the merged company said would lead its revival than the 350Z sports car.
First shown as a Concept at the 1999 North American International Auto Show, Nissan took the Z-Car back to its roots – as a no-compromise two-seat sports car – and when the production car debuted in 2002, it was an instant winner that quickly erased all memories of its rotund predecessor which ceased production back in 1996.
With a current squad boasting the Z-Car and GT-R, Nissan has a world-class sports car lineup that even has feathers ruffled at Porsche.
What You Get
The growl is back!
With the 3.5-litre V6 singing all the way to 7,500rpm as you slice through the six-speed close ratio gearbox (in the version we tested – there’s a five-speed auto as well) this Z-Car delivers driving exhilaration by the bucket load – just as its predecessors did decades ago.
Mostly styled by Nissan Design America in La Jolla, California, with some input from Nissan’s other studios in Japan and Germany, the 350Z is available as a coupe hardtop or soft-top ‘roadster’ as Nissan calls it. Nissan’s California studio has been responsible for some ground-breaking cars over the years including the first Pathfinder SUV, Quest minivan and Altima sedan (Bluebird as sold here) – and they can chalk-up another success with the 350Z as both Coupe and Roadster present in a modern, contemporary way which will not alienate anyone.
There are two models, ‘Touring’ and ‘Track’, the latter with hard-core features such as a front underbody spoiler, rear underbody diffuser and Brembo 4-piston caliper brakes. Track models also come with Nissan’s Vehicle Dynamic Control system (including a switch to turn it off).
But with items like leather seats, cruise control and climate-control air-con as standard, the Z-Car is a sports car that you can use everyday.
Under the Hood
Nissan’s 3.5-litre V6, code-named VQ35HR, received an upgrade in 2007 with more than 80 per cent of the parts all-new and now delivers 230kW of power and 535Nm of torque. Drive is to the rear wheels via a lightweight carbon-fibre drive shaft and viscous limited-slip differential.
The VQ engine family is simply one of the best engines in the world – as acknowledged by its decade-long success in the annual Ward’s Auto World Magazine engine awards in North America.
In the 350Z manual coupe version Car Showroom tested, Nissan claims combined cycle fuel economy of 11.7l/100kms. With an 80-litre fuel tank, highway cruising distance is impressive.
Nissan says zero to 100km/h takes about 5.7 seconds – that’s about the same as a HSV Clubsport R8.
All models come with Traction Control and Vehicle Dynamic Control is included in the ‘Track’ model package.
The Interior
While the Z-Car’s great exterior looks came from Nissan’s La Jolla, California design center, credit for the interior goes to the company’s studio in Bayern, Germany.
It’s wonderfully well-done with some throw-backs to the first 240Z models (the three-bay gauge cluster) and new features like the clutch, brake and accelerator pedals which are evenly spaced and aligned on the same horizontal plane – just like a serious race car.
We particularly like the adjustment for the steering wheel rake where the steering wheel doesn’t move individually, rather the entire drivers’ ‘pod’ (gauges etc) moves with the wheel as one integrated unit. Again this shows Nissan’s designers know how real racing sports cars are built. And it’s a credit to the company’s production quality that all of this can be done without one squeak or rattle sneaking into the components.
Top marks too for the seats where the driver benefits from a mound in the center of the cushion to better support the legs during cornering. This too is straight from motor sport technology.
There is a 6-CD Bose audio with seven speakers and lots of storage boxes including some handy ones behind the seats where the second seat would be.
Car Showroom continues to like Nissan’s simple steering wheel-mounted cruise control system and in the Z-car we also liked the shift-up indicator light in the tachometer.
Exterior & Styling
It may shock some mucho sports car types to learn that the chief exterior designer for the 350Z was actually Diane Allen. Ms Allen joined Nissan Design America (NDA) in 1984 when legendary American stylist Jerry Hirshberg first-established the revolutionary California facility. She now heads the ‘Red Studio’ – one of two exterior design centers at NDA, located in La Jolla, just near San Diego.
In creating the new model, Nissan researched extensively and quickly saw the need to establish what it called ‘Z-ness’ – the sports car DNA that was all over the first 240Z models in the 1970s but somehow got lost along the way in successive models. By the same measure, the company knew the car being created was for the future, not the past – this wasn’t going to be another BMW-Mini or Volkswagen New Beetle.
The theme outlined by Mr Shiro Nakamura, Nissan’s design vice president, was to create a car: “that looks the way it drives and drives the way it looks.”
In total, the result has been pleasing to both Z-aficionados and new customers alike. It’s very centered, with a powerful rear end appearance and minute front overhangs – just like the original. Along the way you notice nice modern aesthetics like the projector headlights, dual exhausts and stylish doors handles.
On The Road
This is your fair-dinkum, heavy-duty two-seat sports car- it’s definitely related to the GT-R and in no way akin to say the Lexus SC430. This impression overpowers as soon as you slide into low-mounted seat, close the high waistline door and grab the thick leather-wrapped sports steering wheel.
Firing-up, as you would expect from a true sporty, the engine noise is purposeful, a little intrusive and the clutch is heavy (to handle all that power). But unleash that 230kW/358Nm and the Z-Car comes into its own with the slick six-speeder affording great shifts and the thing just squatting onto those 18-inch alloy wheels and grippy Bridgestone Potenza tyres - it’s a great ride.
Nissan went for the one-piece carbon fibre drive shaft because it is light-weight and with only one piece, it reduces NVH compared to a conventional U-joint. Combine this with a viscous limited-slip differential plus traction control and the Z-car accelerates with real purpose.
The Z-Car is based on Nissan’s ‘FM’ (Front-Mid) platform and due to its compact dimensions, boasts a beautifully engineered multi-link front suspension system where the lower link is split into two creating two links each with their own lower ball joint effectively giving the front suspension two separate lower pivot points. The rear is a more conventional multi-link design.
After just a couple of runs through our ride and handling test route, Car Showroom was convinced that on balance Nissan has got it right with the 350Z. During development, the new ‘Z’ was benchmarked against vehicles like the Porsche Boxster S, BMW M Roadster and Chevrolet Corvette and is certainly in their league.
In the twisty stuff, the ride and handling is flat and precise; turn-in, mid-corner balance and traction are excellent. For everyday driving in the city, as you would expect, the ride is on the firm side.
Challenges
Just like its rivals, a legitimate sports car like the 350Z is not without its challenges – but mostly we’re talking inconveniences that are trivial compared to the hours of fun just driving this thing provides.
We’re talking a few blind-spots when squeezing into tight carparks and we’re talking the odd scrape from the front spoiler when you encounter an extreme sloping driveway.
And of course the luggage capacity in this coupe (and every other two-seater we can think of) won’t stretch beyond a small suitcase two or a couple of overnight bags.
Verdict
Very, very impressive, Nissan has managed to combine almost razor-sharp levels of performance, ride and handling with everyday ‘live-ability’ (generally) and value-for-money. Hey wasn’t that the mantra of the original 240Z way back when?
It will be interesting to see what is the next Z-Car evolution beyond the 370Z.
The Competition
With prices ranging between $64,990 and $75,490, the Z-Car presents a compelling value argument.
Mazda’s RX-8 and Honda’s S2000 swim in the same pool, but both are a little compromised compared to the Z-Car’s muscly image and performance.
Likewise Alfa Romeo’s Spider and Brera might be considered, but they are more luxo and not in the same performance league.
BMW’s Z4 Coupe muscles-up in the performance stakes but it’s entry-level pricing is seriously more coin than even the Z-Car’s range-topper.
